diffundál

Diffundál is a Hungarian verb meaning to diffuse or to spread through a medium. It is used for processes in which substances, light, heat, or other properties move from zones of higher intensity to lower intensity, eventually becoming more uniform. The term is common in everyday language as well as in scientific descriptions of transport and dispersion.

In science, diffusion is a passive transport process driven by random molecular motion that reduces concentration differences. Fick's laws describe the rate and distribution of diffusive transport: the first law relates diffusion flux to the concentration gradient, and the second law governs how concentrations change over time. Simple diffusion occurs without energy input, across permeable membranes; facilitated diffusion involves membrane proteins. Osmosis is a related diffusion of water across a semipermeable membrane. In materials science, diffusion terminology can describe interdiffusion of atoms between neighboring phases or layers, affecting alloying and diffusion barriers.

Practical examples include a drop of dye diffusing in water and odor molecules diffusing through air. Diffusion plays a crucial role in biological systems (gas exchange in lungs, nutrient transport across cell membranes) and environmental processes (spreading of pollutants). The rate of diffusion is influenced by concentration gradient, temperature, surface area, diffusion distance, and medium viscosity or density.

Etymology: diffundál is derived from diffusion-related terms in Hungarian, ultimately tracing to Latin diffundere, and adopted through scientific vocabulary to describe the spreading process.